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'Dancing With the Stars' results recap: The final cut

November 16, 2010 | 11:54
pm

Doggone it, the results sure have been surprising this season. When Season 11 started so many weeks ago, who would have thought that Jennifer Grey, Kyle Massey and Bristol Palin would be the last stars standing in this competition?

Bristol “the Pistol” Palin, ladies and gentlemen! Make no mistake about it: This teen activist cannot — nay, will not — be ignored. Nor will she step down from the ballroom fandango! With guylinered Mark Ballas by her side, Bristol has weathered the myriad “Dancing With the Stars” storms thrown her way and made it through to the final round.

Which meant, alas, that singer Brandy and her pro partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, were out in this ninth week of competition. Brandy, who just moments earlier in a segment, said ardently (maybe desperately), “I have to go to the finals. In the most humblest way, that’s where I feel we belong.”

It was clear that Brandy was not ready to leave. She wanted to be in the finals. No, she needed to be in the finals, and the tears of frustration and disappointment were evident at the end of the program. Good on Maks for being loving and supportive and positive about the show and his partner. “People vote, and their voices count, and I love that the show represents that,” the hunky Ukrainian said. “I don’t regret a second about being on this season.”

Oh, Brandy. Had this been another season no doubt your scores and dancing ability would have gotten you through to that final week. But this, clearly, is no ordinary season. How else to explain the strident staying power of the Pistol? At this rate, should we call the competition now? Because the way the votes have been going down week after week, Bristol Palin is primed and ready to win it all.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Let’s look back to the ousted singer’s happier moments, shall we? Like the encore dance, Brandy and Maks’ perfect-30 sultry Argentine tango, which Len said, “absolutely lit up the ballroom last night.” The routine was replete with lamppost and café table and chair from the night before, but the pluming smoke machine was noticeably absent (perhaps it had Tuesdays off?).

Then there was a segment where the final contestants looked back and in retrospect talked about their hardships and rewards of being on the show. Bristol found a confidence she didn’t know she had. Kyle learned to find discipline and push through the mental blocks. Brandy said it was rewarding, humbling and frustrating, all at the same time. Jennifer learned that once she accepted her physical limitations that she could go that much farther.

Lovely Annie Lennox performed two numbers. The first was “Universal Child” from her just-released album “A Christmas Cornucopia,” accompanied by two contemporary dancers – the first of whom unrolled onto the floor in a sheath of red fabric. You could tell Annie’s a friend of “DWTS” and of the arts, because she allowed the dancers to perform throughout the entire number. The second was a fun rendition of “Little Bird,” flanked by four fledgling dancers.

After weeks and weeks of voting, the Macy’s Design a Dance finally came to fruition. Derek Hough and Cheryl Burke were chosen to do a high-octane jive to Billy Joel’s “Still Rock 'n'Roll to Me,” and made fun use of a bright red convertible with the license plate “DWTS 11” as they reenacted a date at a drive-in movie theater.

Latin pop crooner Enrique Iglesias brought the entire crowd to their feet — judges included — and turned the Rectagon into fiesta central for his hit “I Like It.” And he was accompanied by our pros Dmitry Chaplin, Louis Van Amstel, Damian Whitewood, Kym Johnson, Cheryl Burke and Peta Murgatroyd, who’s making a good play to become a regular next season.

The party atmosphere, however, was abruptly brought to an end when Brandy was called out of the competition.

What do you think, ballroom fans? Do you like how this season has shaped up? Are you excited to see the remaining dancers’ freestyle routines? Will Brandy actually perform her freestyle next Tuesday, like Bruno had requested? Can anyone stop the Bristol train from barreling its way all the way to the coveted Mirrorball station?